TURKISH Airlines has highlighted the benefits to Scottish businesses of using its regular connection between Edinburgh and Istanbul.

The company, which flies to more destinations around the world than any other airline, has formed an alliance with the Scottish Chamber of Commerce to raise awareness among the business community.

The Turkish-Scottish Chamber of Commerce & Industry has been launched as Ahmet Serhat Sari, the airline's general manager in Scotland, said the number of Scottish firms which have commercial relationships with Turkey is "increasing day by day".

Asked which types of Scottish companies are doing business with Turkey, whose capital Istanbul straddles Europe and Asia, Mr Sari said: "Whisky export is a big part, but other than that it's basically the products for oil and gas.

"Our eastern neighbours, which are Iran, Iraq, Syria and Azerbaijan, are the oil countries. Turkey is a bridge between Europe and these countries - that's why we carry lots of oil and gas equipment."

Turkish Airlines flies once a day between Edinburgh and Istanbul during the winter, with the frequency increasing to nine times a week in the summer.

Mr Sari, who heads a 10-strong team at the airline's base at Edinburgh Airport, said the company may look to up that frequency and fly to other destinations in Scotland if demand picks up.

With Mr Sari stating that the Turkish economy is one of the fastest growing in Europe, he said there is big potential for Scottish firms looking to trade in the country as well as in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

He said: "Turkish Airlines is a very convenient airline for them because our hub is in Istanbul. We have regular flights to Edinburgh to Istanbul and beyond.

"Because of where we are in the world, we have very convenient and good connection times for the Middle East and Africa."

Beyond business links, Mr Sari highlighted the importance of the Edinburgh-Istanbul link for encouraging more Scots to visit Turkey as a tourist destination. As well as providing connections to holiday resorts such as Bodrum, Istanbul is increasingly being marketed as a destination in its own right.

Mr Sari stated: "People are starting to fly to Istanbul as a long weekend destination. Istanbul is less than a four-hour flight, and it gives a different option to other European cities like London, Paris and Milan.

"The climate is different - it's much warmer than Scotland!"

Mr Sari declined to give a view on whether Air Passenger Duty should be devolved to Holyrood.